Topic

"Hope in Dry Land "

Ikuo Okamura, the man who has managed OISCA sites in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Bangladesh for 40 years exclaimed ,"Is it really possible to cultivate land here?" as he faced the dry land near Pakhangyi Village, Myanmar. A serious problem was that the salinity in the well water was 4200 EC, and agriculture is typically not possible when salinity is over 800 EC. Hence, the challenge of bringing hope to this dry land started out with negative prospects.

Pakhangyi Village is situated in the western-central part of the country, which is the dry region. The average annual rainfall is around 400mm (Japan's average annual rainfall is approximately 1800mm). It is said that during the dry season there is not a single drop of rain, so the productivity rate is extremely low in this region. The environmental conditions make it very difficult for local residents to escape from poverty. Thus, the OISCA Agro-Forestry Training Centre was opened at the request of the Myanmar Government in 1997.

Rice is the staple food in Myanmar. Local residents wished to stabilize rice cultivation even though the land is extremely dry. The first crop at OISCA agriculture field, which used the well water, went surprisingly well since luckily there was some rain to help out. Thus, the Centre had a larger harvest than they had expected. However, the next crop was destroyed due to salt damage. The harshness of nature here was shown yet again.

Although the well location and products were changed in order to cope with the salinity better, agriculture in the dry land did not go as well as was hoped and the frustration of the staff mounted.

However, they were encouraged by the enthusiasm and motivation of the trainees and next time they tried cultivating rice using water from a cistern that got its water from the overflow of the Cinduin River in the rainy season.

The process worked and they were rewarded with a harvest of 300 kg per square meter. Poultry farming and pig raising are also major activities at the Centre. Microorganisms are used to create better soil and fertilizers are composed of such components as manure from chickens and pigs. The project was aided by Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan.

Due to these efforts, the Centre succeeded in harvesting 450 kg per square meter three years later. It goes without saying that the local residents were extremely impressed at the amount of the harvest.

OISCA Myanmar's current staff includes, Ikuo Okamura, Chika Mizuguchi, and Namio Ikeda. In monthly reports sent by OISCA Myanmar staff to the Tokyo Headquarters there is a space for filling out the monthly amount of rainfall. That space is almost always left empty. This shows the harsh conditions of Myanmar. It is not an exaggeration to say that a raindrop is a drop of life in this region. Yet, the drama to transform the dry land to green land has only just started!


	January 2003: February 2003: March 2003: April 2003: May 2003: June 2003: July 2003: August 2003: September 2003: October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 February 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004	Rabaul Center Establishes a System for Recycling Life and Livelihood Renovating School Forests for Environmental Education OISCA Makes Contributions to the 'UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development' through the WSSD Elephant Gifts from Surin, Thailand OISCA Graduates Work to Support Palawan T.C. Tree Planting for the "Bridge of Forests Pioneering Women's Training in Bangladesh Fighting Poverty with Silk in the Philippines Mangrove Belt Expands to 50 km in Chokoria, Bangladesh Tree Planting Day with Youth from China and Japan OISCA Graduates Serve for Community-Building in Fiji CFP Activities Expanded Successful School Construction with Indonesian Villagers Efforts to Create a Local Sericulture Industry in North Sumatra Utilization of School Forests for Environmental Education Ex-soldiers Now Take Up the Shovel and Hoe Dramatic Increase in Support for Mangrove Rehabilitation Project in Ranong, Thailand